Apparatus for the protection of blast-furnace jackets



Feb. 26, 1929. 1,703,520

FOR THE PROTECTION OF BL-AST FURNACE JACKETS J. P. DOVEL APPARATUS Filed Sept. 17, 1923 4 6 n F .2. 8 Z 9 .o M 7 Patented Feb. 26, 1929.

JAMES 2. mm, or ammonia, ALABAMA.

APPARATUS FOR THE PROTECTION OF BLAST-FURNACE JACKETS.

Application filed September 17, ms; Serial 1n. made.

My invention relates to new-and useful improvements in apparatus for the protection of the jackets or shells of metallurgical blast furnaces and the like, and particularly for 5 the protection of that portion of the shell above the bosh, the lining of which is sub-- jected to the most intense heat and the most rapid deterioration and abrasion. eretofore, in this art it has been the ractice to incorporate in the refractory rick lining of the furnace above the bosh a number of cast iron coolers connected. .up with a source of circulating water, and it was the purpose and function of these coolers to pro- ]5 tect the surrounding brick work in the lining from temperatures that would melt the same, and thus the theory was that these coolers would greatly increase the life of the lining. In practice, however, experience has shown that when the lining has worn away so as to expose these coolers, either from abrasion, heat, or chemical action, the coolers would invariably burnout and thereupon the furnace man was subjected to ex ense. and trouble of relining his furnace. am aware, no practical provision has heretofore been made for the removal and replacement of cooling blocks in the brick lining above the mantel, thereby making it possible to repair the furnace.

Inthe'operation of gertain blast furnaces under my charge I experienced an abnormally rapid destruction of the lining in a zone extending about 20. feet above the bosh. Throughout a large portion of this zone, which was water cooled, the brick liningwas entirely burned away and the shell would have been exposed to the raw stock and the intense heat except for a-thin lining of an agglomerate material which formed on the shell and supported the brick lining above it. After an examination of this condition I conceived the idea of building upwithinthe furnace an agglomerate lining composed entirely of slag and stock'materials by the introduction through the shell of cooling elements preferably in the form of standard bronze bosh blocks, and by arranging these in such relation that the partially molten metal and fine particles of the stock would agglomerate and build up on and about same until a complete protection or lining having approximately the thickness of the original lining would cover the jacket throughout the zone under treatment, or the whole jacket,

o-far as I were it desired to provide the original lining by this method.

I also conceived the idea of providing for these cooling blocks a mounting housing or frame, whic. can be bolted or otherwise attached to the jacket about an opening cut therein toreceive the block, and the block,

- when driven home in the frame, would have a gas tight fit. The advantages of this arrangement permit the ready mounting and removal of the blocks where needed in the furnace without blowing out the furnace, and this arrangement lends itself especially for roviding individual mountings for cooling locks used'to repair hot spots. 7

My invention therefore comprises the combination of a bosh block with its mountin frame, as well as the method of utilizing suc blocks so as to build up by'an agglomeration of stock a protecting lining in the furnace jacket. The lining so built up within the furnace in actual practice has proved more effective than the brick lining and far less subject to deterioration.

The method of practicing m invention and the preferred embodiment o the means to that end will'be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of these specifications, and in which Fig. 1 is .a partial elevation andpartial section't-hrough a furnace equipped with my invention.

Fig. 2 is an'enlarged side elevation of a cooling block with its individual mounting frame mounted in the jacket. l

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of'Fi 2, showing the'block mounted in an indivi ual frame.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the practice of my invention I propose to protect the jacket of any'type of blast furnace above its bosh, by means which will cause the building up of a lining-by an agglomeration of materials charged. in the furnace, which lining will cover the exposed jacket walls to such an extent and in such manner as to protect them even more effectively than they are at present protected by the brick, and it is within the scope of my invention that the original lining for the furnace may be so created by the utilization of my method and process, as well as that an existing lining may be repaired and replaced in part wherever it has failed. I

To illustrate the practice of my invention 110 I have shown in the accompanying drawings a metallurgical blast furnace having a bosh 1, and above this the usual metal jacket or shell 2, which in the drawings is shown as having been previously lined with refractory brick 3. Throughout the zone of maximum abrasion and heat, extending generally about 20 feet above the bosh, I have shown the linm ing as having disappeared and been re laced by a thin agglomerate lining 4 adherlng to the jacket wall. This correctly illustrates the physical condition of a furnace which was treated according to my process as follows.

- A plurality of bronze bosh blocks 5 of the blocks are of suflicient length to extend into the stack almost to the inner limit of the lining. The jacket has an opening 8 out therein to receive the flange 7. The frame will overlie the jacket about the opening 8 therein sufliciently to receive attaching means to connect it to the acket. Preferably bolts 9 are used, these 'being inserted after the frame was-mounted in the jacket opening by passing the threaded ends of the bolts outwardly through the jacket andframe and applying nuts to detachably mount the frame with a.

gas tight joint .on the jacket. The cooling blocks arethen driven home in their respective frames and when in place are connected up in series by water supply pipes 10, each at one endfconnected to the inlet nipple 11 at one side of a block and at the other end connected to the outlet nipple 12' of an adjacent block. The blocks as thus mounted in the furnace can be connected up in any suitable manner with each other and with. a source of cooling water. 1

The blocks are to be introduced in the furnace in such relative positions as will produce the results in View. If used to treat a small hot spot, they should be located in such relation thereto that the agglomeration of stock, as indicated at 13 thereon, would gradually fill out the worn or missing portion of the lining at the hot spot.- If an entire zone is to be lined or relined the blocks should be arranged at different levels and staggered, the spacings between the blocks belng such that they would cause; an agglomeration to extend sufficiently tooverlap from block to block. In practice I found this to occur satisfactorily where the blocks on a given level were spaced on three foot centers and the lines were spaced about five feet. \Vhen so arranged it was found that within a veryshort time there had agglomerated or built up on and around the blocks a lining'of semirefractory material composed of particles of ore, ashes, silica, raphite, coke and alumina. The linin thus ormed was very hard, and, as cooled by the embeddedblocks, was sulficiently refractory to withstand the furnacebuild up throughout the zone'cooled by the blocks until all of the jacket was covered and all of the blocks were entirely embedded in such agglomerate lining.

In a furnace which for 20 feet above its bosh was entirely devoid of brick lining I succeeded, by the placing of cooling blocks in the manner described, in building up an age glomerated replacement lining in a very short time, and from careful inspections and tests of this lining there is no evidence of any deterioration in it at all, apparentl there being -'a gradual replacement of the ining as it is worn by abrasion. This would seem to re,-

sult from the fact that. throughout the entire" zone in whichthe cooling effect of the block is appreciable there will be no diminution of this agglomerated lining. In the event any I of the blocks should fail for any reason, it is a very simple and inexpensive matter to unbolt its respective mounting frame, disconnect its-pipes 10 and take out the frame and block .for inspection, if necessary shutting off the blast temporarily. The lock can thus be readily inspected, a new block substituted, and its mounting frame remounted in the jacket. It willbe noted that the jacket directly supports the frame and block because the flange 6 will rest on the bottom of the jacket opening 8.

.It is one of the most important features of my i'..vention that the frames will permit the blo ckst'o be very readily mounted with a gas tight joint in the furnace while making it simple to remove and replace them. It is important. that these cooling blocks be mounted firmly so as to carry the entire weight of lining, as expansion under operating conditions may throw the entire weight of lining on the cooling blocks.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is e 1. A blast furnace having an outer metal jacket, a plurality of artificially cooled projections carried thereby and projecting inwardly therefrom, and an agglomerate lin-' ing formed of particles of furnace stock which cohere to and extend about said pro jections and by reason of the juxtaposition of the latter form'a lining for the jacket.

2. A blast furnace having an outer metal jacket, a plurality of water cooled blocks mounted to project therethrough approximately to the depth of the furnace lining desire-d, said blocks being arranged about the portion of the jacket which becomes most highly heated, and an agglomerate lining of stock particles which adheres to and extends about each block, said blocks being so spaced that the lining forming about each will overlap and form a continuous lining for that portion of the jacket which carries the blocks.

3. A blast furnace having a bosh, an outer metal jacket above the bosh, and means to 4 protect the lower portion of the jacket comprising a plurality of circumferential rows of internally projecting cooling blocks arranged With the blocks relatively spaced to cause the formation about them of a continuous agglomerate lining coverin the interior of the lower portion of the jacket.

4. A blast furnace having a bosh, an outer metal jacket above the bosh, and means to protect the lower portion of the jacket comprising a plurality of circumferential rows of internally projecting cooling blocks carried by and outwardly dcmountable from said jacket and arranged with the blocks of the several rows relatively spaced to cause the formation about them of a continuous agglomerate lining covering the interior of the lower portion of the jacket.

5. In a furnace stack, a shell, a lining for i the shell formed from agglomerated particles of stock, and water cooled projections embedded in said agglomerate lining.

6. A furnace shell having an agglomerate lining of stock particles, and means to vertically support and artificially cool said lining sufficiently to prevent its melting.

7 A furnace having a lining of stock par ticles secured together by semi-fused stock particles, and water cooled projections embedded in said lining and adapted to vertically support the same and prevent its melting.

8. The combination with a blast furnace mit the free outward detachment of the frame from the jacket, and a cooling block mounted with a taper gas tight fit in the flange of the frame and projecting inwardly through said cooling block opening.

9. In combination with a blast furnace jacket having a cooling block opening there in, of a marginal frame having an inner marginal flange, said frame being adapted to overlap and reinforce the jacket surrounding said opening, bolts having their threaded ends passing outwardly through the jacket and frame, nuts on said bolts to detachably connect the frame to the jacket with its inner flange in line with a cooling block opening in said jacket, said flange being shaped to, conform to the longitudinal and transverse crosssection of a cooling block, a cooling block mounted with a snug gas tight fit in said franlie flange,and means to water cool the bloc t.

11. The combinatipn of a blast furnace jacket and an agglomerate lining, and a cooling element supported by the jacket and em: bedded in said lining and disposed to efiect self replacement of said lining by chilling and agglomerating stock particles.

12. In a blast furnace, a stack, and means for maintaining a lining of substantially uniform thickness in the stack, said means com prising closely spaced cooling elements extending uniformly through the outer wall of the stack and so disposed as to chill and agglomerate refractory components from the stock immediate thereto. 1

13. In a blast furnace, a stack having relatively high and low temperature zones, and means for maintaining an agglomerate linin of substantially uniform thickness in the hig 1 temperature zone of the stack, said means comprising closely spaced cooling elements extending uniforml through the outer wall of the stack, said 000 ing elements being maintained at such a temperature and being so disposed as to chill and agglomerate refractory components in the stock immediate thereto.

14. In a blast furnace, a stack embracing a relatively high temperature smelting zone, a metallic jacket for said stack around said zone, an agglomerate lining for the stack at said zone, and a plurality of cooling elements extending through the jacket and interspersed about said zone to chill and agglomerate elements from the descending stock immediate thereto to maintain the agglomerate lining at a uniform thickness.

In testimony whereof I, JAMES P. Down, aflix my signature.

. JAMES P. DOVEL. 

